At least 14 people have been killed and eight others wounded in a bomb explosion targeting Nepalese security guards in the Afghan capital city of Kabul.

The Afghan Interior Ministry announced that an individual carrying explosives targeted a minibus carrying the Nepalese security guards in the Banae district of the capital early on Monday.

The Taliban militant group later claimed responsibility for the attack on social media.

The Taliban have intensified their militancy across Afghanistan in recent months.

The Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh has also recently gained a foothold in the country.

On Sunday, Afghan security forces killed 24 militants, including 13 Daesh terrorists, in a series of mop-up operations in different provinces in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still beset with insecurity.

There are currently some 10,000 foreign forces in Afghanistan despite the end of the US-led combat mission on December 31, 2014. The forces, mainly from the US, are there for what Washington calls a support mission. NATO says the forces focus mainly on counter-terrorism operations and training Afghan soldiers and policemen.